Chuseok Getaway: Geoje Island Pt.1

Ah, Chuseok that time of year when Seoul empties out and becomes a semi-ghost land. For me I have this whole week off and so does my boyfriend. Many people I know have headed out to sunny beaches and new places. I would have gone to someplace far away; however, it was really hard to get tickets. Instead JH and I decided to go someplace new in Korea.

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 We hit the road Saturday afternoon and drove through Korea going past Daejon and many provinces.  Along the way stopping at a rest area, which had a pretty view.

 Almost there! Our destination was Geoje Island, which is just one of many islands along the southern coast of South Korea.

The enormous mountain ranges that once formed the Korean peninsula sank to the bottom of the ocean forming the many complex gulfs and peninsulas of the southern sea, not to mention hundreds of beautiful islands. Namhae, Geojedo Island, Oedo Island, and Somaemuldo Island are a few of those islands. These islands have become the film locations for many Korean dramas and commercials, due to its untainted, natural beauty.

Driving into Geoje was fun as you pass by the coast and could see the shipyards. 

Crossing the bridge going to the island.~

 It was warm and sunny down in this part of Korea.

After driving through the center of the island and then through winding roads, that at one point went around a lake, we finally came to the part of the island where our pension was.

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The view from our porch was breathtaking and definitely a sight for sore-city eyes.

We didn't rest too long and after just having a quick peaceful moment inside the pension we were up again to take in one of the island's many attractions.

Windy Hill:

On a sea cliff near a little fishing community sits a windmill. They have called this place "Windy hill", because I suspect the wind blows through hear. However, on our visit the air was calm and pleasant.

Boats at the dock.

As we approached the stairs to head up towards the windmill, we came across this funky looking building. At the edge of it were some grandma's selling sea creatures and steamed corn.

The way up to the windmill was by climbing a staircase.

As you go up you start to take in the breathtaking beauty of the island and the sea.

Once up on the hill we admired the windmill, as it's panels moved around.

 (tired from the drive)...

As we got away from the windmill we made our way to the bottom part of the cliff where you could find other things and more views.

Unfortunately, I just realized that I didn't get any pictures of the goats. But there were many black goats on this hill witch made it very fun.

Windy Hill was enjoyable to visit and was a great way for one to stretch their legs after the drive down to the island. We went back to the pension and had a small meal then hit the hay. In the next part of this series I will take you through the other places we went to on the island and the good times that we had.

Stay tuned...

Korea Road Trip: Part 1

Gyeongju Arrival:

We took off last Tuesday around 2:00pm here in Suji and made our way down the middle of South Korea. After nearing Daegu we veered South East towards Gyeongju arriving around 7pm. Night had already come so it was hard to see what was around.

On the way we made a few rest stops to eat and take turns driving. Here is one of the rest stops on our way where we got a bite to eat.

 

Typical for rest stops is a large cafeteria area where you can select from different menus.

 

I had a bulgolgi rice mix.

JH had a donkatsu plate special.

  

Driving in Korea:

I have been driving since I was 17 years old. I use to own a car in America, but sold it a year before I moved out to Korea (it was a beater). After I met JH back in May I decided to get my International Driver's License since he had a car and I figured we would share the driving.

Driving in Korea is not that bad compared to probably several countries out there. From what I hear China is pretty unruly and so is India. Still no matter where I end up driving I try to be a safe and cautious driver. Therefore navigating the road means keeping an eye out for drivers that could cause a problem. So that is my perspective on driving. But how does it mix with Korea?

The driving laws and street layout seems to be pretty much the same as back in America. Except that the stoplight signs are positioned as a horizontal strip instead of vertical. Making left turns tends to be the most confusing as a green arrow + red light shines at the same time.

The major differences, I feel, with driving in Korea vs. America is the attitude of the other driver's on the road. I have lived in a big city area, San Francisco and surroundings, so I know what it is like to drive in crowded conditions where people can be pushy. Changing of lanes seems to be the cause of most of my troubles. Some driver's use their hazard lights as a symbol of "Get out of the way, I'm coming in". So you get a lot of sudden lane changes made by the people around you. This has caused me to be extra alert on the road.

Another difference is traffic control. In America, especially in California, you have a lot of highway patrol cars. If you are speeding they catch you and give you a ticket. Out here instead of highway patrol cars there are speeding cameras. JH's car has a GPS unit (in Korean) and whenever there is a camera up ahead and we are going over the speed limit the unit will start to "ding" "ding" and flash. At first I found this really annoying, but after driving long distances and keeping up speed with those around me, I realized it is pretty useful. Those around me tend to slow down as do I when we go through these spots. Just kind of interesting that they use the "big brother" approach to traffic control.

Enough about driving in Korea, let's get back to our arrival story to Gyeongju.

We chose Gyeongju because it boosts many cultural attractions and is an area of Korea I have not seen. So I was excited to see a different part of Korea. Also since it was South of Seoul the weather promised to be warmer and clearer.

Arriving in Gyeongju we searched around for a suitable Pension to stay at and found one. After checking in we went out and found a place to eat.  The restaurant we found was a funky kind of pub where they had "pub" food in a traditional atmosphere. We didn't drink any alcohol, and instead had some grub.

 

Veggie pajeon

 

Steamed tofu and kimchi~

The Pension:
If you don't know by now a "Pension" in Korea means a hotel room with a living room, bedroom and kitchen. Basically a really great step-up from typical love hotels. The one we got was on the top floor and looked like one of those "attic rooms" in an old house. In the center of the building were some stairs with a small room that had a computer, microwave and lounge area. We had this small door leading to this area which made for some fun times.

Typical for Pensions are that they tend be dolled up kind of in a girly style. To me it just felt really cozy and comfortable.

Looking outside and around the Pension.

 

And here we come to the end of Part 1 in my road trip series. I am going to finish off with saying that one of the best parts of exploring Korea is getting to know the countryside areas. Gyeongju was definitely an area with plenty of farm land, albeit though very lovely.

Come back later as I will post more about the cultural trips we took around Gyeongju.

Anniversary Date

One year.
So it was last Friday that BK treated me to a special night out on the town, for our one year anniversary.

Our destination was the North Seoul Tower, a famous spot on Korean dramas and a site you can usually see when you are around central Seoul. I was looking forward to it.

I realized as we got out of the subway station that I don't have many night shots of Seoul. Therefore, before we headed up the hill to the tram I took some shots of the scenery.

To get to the North Seoul Tower you have several options. You could walk up the winding road, take a bus or ride the Namsan Cable Car. Guess which one we did?

We rode the cable car of course! In this picture you can see the cable car's station where you buy the ticket and board the car. I was excited because I recently watched the Boys Before Flowers episode where the main characters ended up spending the night in the cable car.
Riding the cable car was exciting as you were lifted up above Seoul and could look out onto the city. But the ride was rather short lived and before you know it your at the top. After you get off you walk up a flight of stairs to come upon the North Seoul Tower all lit up. (Sorry my camera and my freezing hands were having a hard time with night shots.)

Built in 1969, and opened to the public in 1980, the tower measures 236.7 m (777 ft) in height (from the base)

There are several options of what to do when you get to the Seoul Tower, and it depends on what level you decide to hang around.

At the very bottom: B1f

• Ticket Booth
• Walk around where you can get outdoor views of Seoul
• Souvineer shop
• Cafe
  

Bottom Middle:

• Food court
• Cafe
• Internet
• Panoramic views by a window. This was where couples sat with each other to gaze out the window. BK and I did the same.
  

When we were done drinking tea (me) and hot choco (BK) we used our elevator pass and went up to the Observatory part of the tower. Again sorry for the blurry photos.

This is a circumambulatory room where you work your way around enjoying the scenery. This area and the ride up the elevator reminded me of going to the Empire State Building, which I also did at night time. Except the Seoul Tower's observatory deck is enclosed.

As you walk around each window has on it a city's name that is located in the direction which you are looking. When I came upon San Francisco's I was very excited and homesick.

There are actually two parts of the observatory, for the first floor (the one pictured) has the names of faraway cities. The second part has the names of places in Seoul and Korea on the windows.

Also at this level are some fancy restaurants including one that rotates. I would love to catch a meal in that place, because there are so few rotating restaurants left.

We made our way back down to ground level where we had dinner at the Plaza Restaurant. OOoo romantic~
After our night out at the Seoul Plaza we got into a taxi and made our way to a really nice hotel. Known for its luxurious rooms, we were in for a treat. I think all I cared about was that it had a bathtub.


When you enter hotels here (in this case, yes it was a love hotel) you usually go through a veiled entrance way. Not always, as there is a front door from the street. But if you were to drive in you can park and no one will see your car inside.
The next day we headed over to Apgujeong to get lunch at our favorite place Butterfinger Pancakes. Of course the wait was long, but I think worth it.

Pancake, hashbrowns, eggs, bacon and sausage for me.

Waffle, egg, potatoes, and bacon for BK.

The food was great and the date the night before was awesome as well. It was by far the best night date I have had in Seoul. I would like to come back during the daytime and when it will be warmer out.

All in all, if you have done everything else in Seoul then make your way to the N. Seoul Tower and see the sites.